The date of October 7 marked a significant turning point that imposed radical transformations on the reality of prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons. This was reflected across all dimensions related to this issue, in light of the comprehensive aggression against our people and their detainees, and the ongoing genocide against our people in Gaza for over 6 consecutive months.
Throughout this period, the Israeli occupation authorities at various levels carried out horrific crimes against the prisoners, resulting in the deaths of 16 detainees due to systematic torture, medical neglect, starvation policies, and a range of violations and acts of abuse targeting both male and female prisoners, including children, elderly individuals, and the sick.
In addition to the announced martyrs among the prisoners and detainees, the issue of Gaza detainees remains captive to the crime of "enforced disappearance" imposed by the occupation since the aggression. Thousands of our people have been subjected to arrest during ground invasion operations in Gaza, including women, children, elderly individuals, and the sick. The occupation continues to refuse to disclose any clear information about the Gaza detainees who remain imprisoned in camps and prisons. Here, we highlight a series of reports in which the Israeli media revealed disturbing information, notably the martyrdom of 27 detainees from Gaza within occupation army camps.
In light of the dozens of testimonies gathered by specialized institutions from detainees and prisoners inside prisons, as well as those who were later released, it has been revealed that this period marks the most intense and severe phase in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement in terms of the level of torture, abuse, and retaliatory measures imposed on the prisoners inside the prisons, affecting the fate of thousands of them.
Here, we present digital data reflecting the escalation imposed by the post-October 7 phase (one of the bloodiest periods in our people's history):
Total Prisoners: Today, the number of prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons exceeds 9,500 detainees. This figure does not include all Gaza detainees who are subjected to the crime of enforced disappearance.
Female Prisoners: The number of Palestinian female prisoners has increased since October 7, with the current count standing at 80 detainees. Among them, three prisoners have been detained since before October 7. This figure does not include all female detainees from Gaza held in camps.
Children: The number of child prisoners (under the age of 18), referred to as "cubs," exceeds 200 distributed across prisons such as Megiddo, Ofer, and Damon. According to available data from institutions, 24 children from Gaza, out of the total number of children in prisons, are held in Megiddo Prison. There is no confirmed information regarding the presence of Gaza children in camps due to the ongoing crime of enforced disappearance.
Administrative Detainees - those detained by the occupation authorities under the pretext of having secret files: The number of administrative detainees in Israeli occupation prisons increased at an unprecedented historical rate after October 7, reaching over 3,660 administrative detainees (as of the beginning of April), including 22 women and more than 40 children. The majority of administrative detainees are former prisoners who have spent years in Israeli occupation prisons, in addition to other categories including school and university students, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, engineers, doctors, academics, members of parliament, activists, workers, and first-degree relatives of martyrs and prisoners in occupation prisons, including sisters of martyrs and wives of prisoners.
The number of detainees classified by the occupation as "unlawful combatants," according to the Prison Administration's data, is 849 as of the beginning of April 2024.
The number of sick prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons has escalated since October 7, with hundreds of patients and wounded individuals experiencing a continuous increase due to the crimes, policies, and retaliatory measures systematically imposed by the occupation on the prisoners, notably torture and medical neglect.
The number of journalists detained in Israeli occupation prisons is 56, including 45 who were arrested after October 7 and remain in detention, among whom are 4 female journalists.
The number of parliamentarians detained in Israeli occupation prisons is 17, most of whom are held under administrative detention. Among them are prominent leaders such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat.
The information related to former prisoners and those sentenced to life imprisonment:
After the martyrdom of the leader prisoner Walid Daqqa on April 7, 2024, who was among the oldest Palestinian prisoners detained since before the signing of the Oslo Accords, the number of veteran prisoners continuously detained since that period stands today at 21 prisoners. The oldest among them is prisoner Mohammed al-Tawas from the town of Al-Jab'a, who has been detained since 1985.
In addition to the veteran prisoners continuously detained, there are 11 prisoners who were arrested before the signing of the Oslo Accords and were released as part of the "Wafa al-Ahrar" deal in 2011 between the resistance and the occupation in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. They were re-arrested in 2014, among dozens of freed individuals who were re-arrested at that time. The most prominent among them is leader prisoner Nael Barghouthi, who served the longest period of detention in the history of the prisoner movement in two stages, totaling over 44 years of imprisonment.
In addition to them, there are prisoners from the Al-Aqsa Intifada, hundreds of whom have been detained for over 21 years in Israeli prisons, including a group of military leaders, most of whom are serving life sentences.
The number of Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences or awaiting life sentences is approximately 600 prisoners. Among them, the highest sentenced prisoner is Abdullah Barghouti, who is serving 67 life sentences, followed by Ibrahim Hamed, sentenced to 54 life terms.
The martyr prisoners
The number of martyrs of the prisoner movement has risen to 252 martyrs since 1967, with 16 prisoners and detainees martyred inside occupation prisons after October 7th. This figure does not include all the martyrs of the prisoner movement after October 7th, with the continued concealment of the identities of the majority of martyrs among the Gaza detainees who were martyred in camps belonging to the occupying army.
Among the martyrs of the prisoner movement was the Palestinian leader and thinker Walid Daqqa (Abu Milad), who passed away on April 7, 2024, at Asaf Harofe Hospital after 38 years of imprisonment. During his captivity, he endured all forms of torture, abuse, deprivation, isolation, in addition to a series of medical crimes committed to kill him. Prisoner Daqqa developed leukemia that progressed to a rare bone marrow cancer known as myelofibrosis. Despite completing his initial 37-year sentence, the occupation continued to detain him by adding two more years to his sentence. The prisoner Daqqa departed without the occupation allowing his family to visit him since October 7, experiencing medical crimes in the months before his martyrdom that resulted in severe setbacks and ultimately led to his passing. His body remains withheld by the occupation until today.
The number of martyrs whose bodies are held by the occupation is 27 martyrs, with the oldest being the martyr prisoner Anis Douleh, whose body has been held since 1980.
Arrest campaigns after October 7th in the West Bank, including Jerusalem:
One of the key pieces of information regarding the arrest campaigns that took place after October 7th in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, is the significant increase in the number of prisoners as a result.
These data include those who were arrested and remained in detention by the occupation, as well as those who were later released. This encompasses anyone subjected to arrest, whether through organized raids on homes, at military checkpoints, under pressure to surrender themselves, or as hostages.
These data do not include the arrest cases carried out by the occupation in Gaza, which affected thousands. It's important to note that detainees in Gaza are still subject to enforced disappearance.
The total number of arrests reached more than 8,270 in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
The number of women arrested amounted to around 275. This statistic includes women who were arrested from the territories occupied in 1948, as well as cases of women from Gaza who were arrested in the West Bank.
The number of child arrests amounted to more than 520 cases.
The number of journalist arrests after October 7th amounted to 66 journalists, with 45 still detained and 23 of them subjected to administrative detention.
The number of administrative detention orders issued after October 7th totaled more than 5,168 orders, including new orders and renewals. This figure includes orders issued against children and women.
The continuous arrest campaigns since October 7th have been accompanied by escalating crimes and violations, including brutal beatings and acts of torture, threats against detainees and their families, as well as widespread destruction and sabotage of civilian homes. Additionally, there have been seizures of vehicles, money, and gold, along with extensive destruction targeting infrastructure, particularly in the refugee camps of Tulkarm, Jenin, and its camp.
In addition to these arrest campaigns, the occupation forces have carried out extrajudicial executions, including members of detainees' families. They have also intensified field interrogation operations affecting hundreds of individuals.
This data do not include any information about the number of arrests from Gaza, as the occupation continues to refuse to disclose this information and carries out enforced disappearances against them. Their numbers are estimated to be in the thousands. Additionally, it's worth noting that the occupation has arrested hundreds of workers from Gaza in the West Bank, as well as citizens from Gaza who were present in the West Bank for medical treatment.
As part of the prisoner exchange agreement reached in November 2023, 240 male and female prisoners were released in 7 stages of exchange. Subsequently, the occupation re-arrested 15 of them, released 2 prisoners, and kept 13 in detention, including 5 children and four female prisoners.
